[narsol.org 4/18/18] By Robin Vander Wall . . . At a hearing in federal court (Middle District, NC) on Monday, April 16, 2018, NARSOL, NCRSOL, and two John Doe plaintiffs were represented by Attorney Paul Dubbeling to defend against the state of North Carolina’s Motion to Dismiss a lawsuit filed in January, 2017 seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under section 1983 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code (Civil Action for deprivation of rights). Forty six named defendants were represented by Attorney Lauren Clemmons of the N.C. Attorney General’s office.…
Read MoreDay: April 19, 2018
PA: Bill would ban sex offenders from firefighter rosters
[abc27.com 4/19/18] HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A Pennsylvania lawmaker has introduced legislation to ban convicted sex offenders from serving as firefighters. Under House Bill 2220, professional and volunteer firefighters would have to submit to a background check or sign a statement saying they’ve never been convicted of a sexual offense. Pennsylvania already prohibits convicted arsonists from serving as firefighters, but whether a convicted sex offender may serve is up to each individual community to decide. Republican Rep. Kathy Rapp introduced the proposal after a fire chief in her Crawford County…
Read MoreCA: Root and Rebound to Open Fresno Office to Serve Women with Criminal Records and in Reentry
[rootandrebound.org and calwellness.org] We are thrilled to announce our growth to Fresno, CA! Root & Rebound to Open Fresno Office to Serve Women with Criminal Records and in Reentry We are thrilled to finally share this news—we are opening an office in Fresno, CA thanks to the California Wellness Foundation, which will serve women in reentry and women with criminal records/past justice-involvement to move through the hurdles and obstacles they face and change the systems and structures that create unnecessary barriers to opportunity. A three-person team, composed of a reentry attorney,…
Read MoreMN: Supporting policy to prevent harm: Identifying gaps to support children with sexual behavior problems
[sajrt.blogspot.com 4/13/18] By Hannah Laniado (Prevention Program Manager, MNCASA at hlaniado@mncasa.org) & Julie Patrick (National Partners Liaison, Raliance at jpatrick@raliance.org) Recently, the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA) published, Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Improving Minnesota’s ability to provide early identification and intervention services through policy and practice recommendations (June 2017), a comprehensive report outlining the data collection, literature review, and formation of recommendations for implementation. This is the first in-depth look at how one state can create change to improve intervention, prevention and response to children with sexual behavior…
Read MoreThe Sex Trafficking Panic Is Based On Myths
[buzzfeed.com 4/18/18] As they crack down on sex workers and pass outrageous new laws, our politicians and moral crusaders make some bold claims: Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of sex trafficking is one oft-cited figure. Kids are entering sex work at an average age of 13, says another. But is any of this true? Good data is hard to come by in an industry kept largely in the shadows. That’s why, from 2012 to 2014, we spent nine months walking a stretch of road in Las Vegas…
Read MoreWI: Many On GPS Monitoring Are Homeless
[urbanmilwaukee.com 3/10/18] Michael walked out of the Oshkosh Correctional Institution in April 2017 at age 60 with $140 to his name, a record as a sex offender and a GPS monitoring bracelet strapped to his ankle. Michael, who requested that only his middle name be used to avoid public attention, was convicted of two child sex crimes, the most recent in 2006, for which he spent 10 years in prison. Upon release, he traveled to Vernon County, where he had committed his most recent sex crime, and stayed in a…
Read MoreStereotypes and Misconceptions About Sex Offenders [audio recordings]
[kboo.fm 3/26/18] Jan Haaken talks with Tim Buckley, one of the authors of The New Scarlet Letters: Sex Offenders, Their Treatment, and Our Challenge. They will discuss stereotypes and misconceptions of sex offenders, and how the punitive orientation of the criminal justice system affects people who fall under this widening label. Listen to Stereotypes & Misconceptions About Sex Offenders audio recording of interview with Tim Buckley. More audio recordings discussing The New Scarlet Letters [marilyncallahanlcsw.com]
Read MoreCA: Woman awarded $6.45 million in revenge porn case
[cnn.com 4/9/18] Revenge porn can be costly. A federal district court in California last week entered a default judgment against a man and ordered him to pay $6.45 million in damages after he was accused of spreading an ex-girlfriend’s naked pictures and videos online. It’s believed to be the second-largest payout for a victim of revenge porn who was not a celebrity, according to the woman’s lawyers. The unnamed woman, who was listed as Jane Doe in legal filings, sued the man, David Elam II, in civil court. She alleged…
Read MoreMO: Dad upset he can’t see son in NICU because he’s a registered sex offender
[kmov.com 4/18/18] SOUTH ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – A Metro East dad is upset he’s been banned from seeing his newborn at the hospital because he’s a registered sex offender. The man has asked to remain anonymous to protect his wife and children. “They shouldn’t have to pay the consequences for something I did when I was young and stupid,” said the dad. The man was 19-years-old when the offense happened in 2004. The victim of the aggravated criminal sexual abuse was 13. 14 years later, he is a husband and…
Read MoreCA: California death row inmate to be freed; no retrial planned
[kcra.com 4/17/18] BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — A man who spent nearly 25 years on California’s death row for raping and killing a toddler before his conviction was overturned won’t be retried and could be freed within days, authorities said Tuesday. Vicente Benavides Figueroa, 68, has remained in prison even though the state Supreme Court last month overturned his 1993 conviction on grounds that medical testimony at his trial was false. Advertisement Many doctors who testified to the cause of the girl’s injuries recanted. Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green announced…
Read MoreRI: My Turn: John R. Grasso: Destroying lives for childish mistakes
[providencejournal.com 4/18/18] Quicksand. That’s what the Internet is for young people. It looks like solid ground but it isn’t. It blends into the surroundings as though it was always there but it wasn’t. The Internet has developed much quicker than our children’s adaptation to it. They have the technology figured out but they do not recognize the dangers. Their parents lag far behind while the police are in hot pursuit. The Barrington Times reported the arrest of two teenagers, a boy and a girl. Both 14 years old. Police charged…
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